FORT WORTH, Texas — Scottie Scheffler failed to interrupt par within the opening spherical for the primary time this yr Thursday on a tricky afternoon of blustery circumstances and a brand new really feel at renovated Colonial that appeared to befuddle nearly everybody however Charley Hoffman within the Charles Schwab Problem.
Hoffman posted a 5-under 65 for a one-shot lead over 5 gamers who all had an enormous benefit of taking part in within the morning. Hoffman needed to cope with wind that gusted within the 20 mph vary, placing a premium on pictures into greens that had been notably agency from being so new.
Scheffler’s 2-over 72 on Thursday was the second time in his final three rounds he was over par. Earlier than that, he had performed 41 consecutive rounds at par or higher.
The Louisville mayor and police chief addressed the media however didn’t take questions on Thursday.
He was within the information all day — first from Louisville, Kentucky, the place police launched what video they’d of his arrest final Friday morning earlier than the PGA Championship, then from a gap spherical at Colonial that included his first triple bogey of the yr.
Scheffler wasn’t alone in his struggles.
Solely 45 gamers from the 132-man discipline broke par, a stark distinction from the file scoring final week on the PGA Championship. Max Homa did not make a birdie and posted a 78, his highest rating at a non-major because the Memorial 4 years in the past.
A lot of that needed to do with Colonial, which went by means of an intensive restoration since final yr’s event that included new sod from tee-to-green together with an upgraded irrigation system.
The greens had been agency and bouncy from new sod, as anticipated — nobody had performed Colonial after the renovation till this week — and the wind added to the problem.
Hoffman noticed that nobody posted higher than 66 within the morning — a bunch that included Open champion Brian Harman and Tony Finau — and realized it most likely wouldn’t be simple. Fairways and greens should not at all times his energy, however that was the most effective method.
Hoffman missed solely two fairways and three greens, and he by no means got here severely near dropping a shot.
“It’s a kind of golf programs you wish to be aggressive on as a result of you could have some mid and low irons in, however you possibly can’t get too aggressive out right here as a result of the greens are small and it’s laborious to get up-and-down,” Hoffman stated. “So I might say it was considerably a straightforward 5 below, that are good. They’re not at all times that method, but it surely was low stress.”
Harman and Martin Laird additionally performed bogey-free within the morning for his or her 66s, and so they had been joined by Finau, S.H. Kim and Davis Riley.
Collin Morikawa, who performed within the closing group on the Masters and the PGA Championship this yr, was amongst those that opened with 68.
Harman felt everybody was on equal footing, no matter previous outcomes, as a result of it felt so new, even because the “essence of the course” was the identical.
“The concern whenever you redo an iconic place like that is that they mess it up, and I really feel fairly assured saying that they didn’t mess it up,” Harman stated. “Now the course wants time to mature, the grass actually isn’t fairly the place it must be but. It takes a very long time for these roots to get their construction and for every part to cool down.
“I’m going to carry off judgment for one more couple years most likely on how I give it some thought, however I don’t suppose they messed it up. I believe they did a fairly good job.”
